A Texan empire born in the blood

A historical novel - but more than that - which traces the family saga of McCullough Eli that experienced in the 19th century at a time of life within a Comanche tribe and the rise of a family empire in a white state, his son Peter who questions everything (I'll say no more) and his granddaughter Jeanne successful in the male and macho world of oil. The author succeeds remarkably well to make us into the minds of his characters. Their relations with Mexican and Indian populations are very well rendered. He does not forget however to evoke the landscapes we are used to see at the cinema but rarely with as much intensity and mastery in the pages of a novel. What I particularly liked was his way of connecting all generations - not just those of the novel but going back far into the past and looking to the future. Great art!
If I put four stars instead of five is because of the pervasiveness of violence. While the rape scenes, torture or genocide serve to define the characters and are not free, but can be extremely destabilizing.